PlayStation All-Stars Volume Two, Season One
by Coleiosis
Summary: A new series is here! Continuing the latest adventures of the League of Heroes, Ratchet and his friends must fight the forces of evil, from the Doomsday Cult to Needles, from the mad thug Arboc Thatcher to Mr. Grimm! Will the world be saved from this menace?
1. Merciless Savages

PlayStation All-Stars

Volume Two, Season One, Episode One

Merciless Savages

By Cole Bezotte

Introduction:

Welcome to the new series!

I thought that I would be done after Ratchet's adventures against the Dark Knight, Billy Ray Stillwell, and Mr. Grimm. But I was WRONG!

So many other ideas came pouring into my head like a raging flood. I guess this IS NOT good-bye. This is the start of a new series, beginning new adventures with Ratchet, Pupuru, and the League of Heroes as they battle evil psychopaths like Needles, Mr. Grimm, and the Doomsday Cult!

Now, as you read on, you will begin to notice that some of these stories are parodies of some other works (but those works are not by me). And if you have forgotten the full guide of the CANCELLED series, go back to "PlayStation All-Stars: The Movie" and go through the introduction again.

But anyway, ENJOY!

Merciless Savages

One summer evening, at the mansion of the League of Heroes, a very happy time was going on in the backyard. A bonfire blazed furiously as its brightness gleamed where it stood. Many of the heroes stood around, chatting, and cooking marshmallows over the crackling flame. Though things were going swell, Captain Qwark was accused of eating most of the marshmallows.

A short distance away, Ratchet stood silently and glared at Talwyn Apogee, whom he had known for a long while. "Talwyn is so beautiful," he thought to himself. "If only I could tell her how much she means to me. But I daren't… For a girl so lovely would never marry a short young man. And if she KNEW I loved her, she'd probably quit and move out. Then I would never see her at all."

As the party went on, Sackboy threw a bundle of used newspapers into the fire to keep it burning bright. But suddenly, he came across a headline that caught his attention. The headline read: "FIGHTING CONTINUES IN MIDTOWN!"

"What is this all about?" Sackboy asked Ratchet as he showed him the article.

"It seems like a revolution has broken out in Midtown," Ratchet replied, reading through. "Two factions are battling over for power. One faction is Republican, the other is called 'Doomsday'. Its leader is a ruthless warlord known as John Doe (that's the title of the leader, not the name). I've heard of him before, but I've never actually known that someone would go this far as to bring an apocalyptic party."

And as fate would have it, certain members of the League of Heroes attended a meeting at Washington. They agreed to serve as certain ranks of the army that was planned to be sent to Midtown, where the merciless John Doe and his army invaded and made their base.

John had his own unique way of handling his army: every single man was to be shaved bald so easier movement was possible. Some were given a black glass eye to mark the rank of either a captain or a commander. The leader would bear the name of John Doe and show his rank with the correct tattoos (ones that show deadly style to be exact).

But there was to be a very severe punishment for failure; whoever slipped in his work would face the penalty of death. For instance, at that very moment, John sent one of his failed soldiers to the wall to be shot by the firing squad.

"No!" the failure cried as he was being dragged away. "Spare my life!"

But it was too late; he was shot by four men of the firing squad. Some of his blood spread on the wall, which was soon to be cleaned to wipe the memory of that man away.

"Listen well!" John announced to the rest of his men. "I want those heroes to be killed before they step foot here in Midtown! If you fail, YOU ALSO shall face the firing squad!"

All of John's soldiers acknowledged and moved on with their mission. But one man stopped by and gave him news of the League of Heroes: "Word has just arrived; the heroes have come!"

"That's nothing to fear!" John replied. "We will drive them back before they can even shoot at us! Do not dare fail!"

About two to three hours later, John came walking down the hallway of the base with a female captive. Talwyn had been captured due to thorough scavenging around the area, and John's soldiers caught her in the act of sabotage.

"This girl…" John whispered to one of his commanders as he walked her along, "…she is quite a prize. Such lovely eyes… She is beautiful…"

"Just as YOU are ugly!" Talwyn snapped at him.

"Don't snap at me already, lady! You'll be thanking me one day for sparing your life."

Before Talwyn could do anything else, she suddenly saw a shocking sight. Ratchet had been captured as well, with a captain pointing a pistol at his head. "We caught this creature prowling outside," the captain spoke up, showing him to his master.

"You've no right to hold her!" Ratchet said to John. "Release her at once!"

"So, you dare command ME!" John barked in reply. "We will test your courage as you face my firing squad!"

"No!" Talwyn whimpered in panic. "Don't shoot him! You mustn't!"

"You like him, eh?" John replied. "Tell me what you would do to save his life? Would you marry me?"

"Yes, I'll marry you! Only spare him—please—!"

"No!" Ratchet thought as he slowly walked towards the wall. "I cannot allow Talwyn to sacrifice herself for me! But I'm helpless as well…" He turned to face John again, shouting at him: "You're a lily-livered coward! If you weren't, you'd fight me man to man!"

"And perhaps you WILL!" said a voice from above the wall. It was Clank, coming to return to Ratchet his weapon. Dropping an Omniwrench down, he flew through the row of soldiers and snatched their weapons from them. "I'll take those toys, thank you very much!" he teased as he flew by.

Having caught his wrench, Ratchet prepared himself to take on John and his evil cult. "Now, John…" he taunted, "…it's time we wrap up this battle MY way!"

"Bah!" John retorted, turning to his men. "He is but one man! He cannot oppose an entire army! Destroy him!"

But, before the troops can act, Ratchet hurled his wrench at a nearby supply tent. As the wrench returned to its master, it pulled the great tent back with it, dropping it on the troops who have been ordered to attack Ratchet.

At Midtown's entrance, the League of Heroes had finally arrived to destroy the Doomsday Cult once and for all. "I think we've used our cloaking device long enough," Nathan said as he and the others made themselves visible to enemy eyes. "Let's charge right at them!"

John's soldiers saw their opponents and were filled with fear. "It is the enemy!" one of them shouted. "They are on the march!"

"We are not prepared to engage them in combat!" said another one.

Suddenly, in all the confusion, John began stealing all the money from his army and tried to escape the chaos.

"Look!" one of his men said and pointed at him. "The fool is fleeing with our money!"

"HE is the cause of our downfall!" exclaimed another. "And now he tries to DESERT us!"

"He must PAY for his failure!" said a third.

Right then, everyone agreed to shoot John down and end his life… and his reign of terror. After his death, there came another one of his soldiers who exclaimed of his betrayal: "He BETRAYED us! It is the HEROES who are truly our friends… not those how would plunge us into war!"

And so, ironically, the man who caused so many others to perish in front of the execution wall, is himself its final victim.

From a distance, the FBI agent known as Nick Ivo (as introduced in previous adventures) saw what had happened. "The army is crushed!" he thought proudly. "It's the end of the Doomsday infiltration in our city! We owe our victory to that fantastic Lombax fighter! What a soldier he is!"

**NEXT TIME: NEEDLES FULFILLS HIS REVENGE JUST AS PROMISED! BUT WILL HE SUCCEED?**


	2. Needles the Nasty

PlayStation All-Stars

Volume Two, Season One

Episode Two

Needles the Nasty

By Cole Bezotte

In a remote part of the planet Veldin, there stood a tree, in which is imprisoned Needles the evil clown. His ghost form had entered the tree once he saw the sun rise on Veldin's horizon. He had fled because of what the Polygon Man had said to him before his arrival on Veldin: "See to it that the sun does not rise!"

Needles had promised the Polygon Man that he would succeed in killing the League of Heroes before daybreak. Once he saw the sun rise, he knew that he had failed; and so he escaped his body and fled his spirit into the tree. But now that he knew that the Polygon Man had fled and hid away, it was safe for him to come out and do whatever he desired.

"And now," Needles thought as he reentered his body, "I am free to cause mischief—to create discord—and to seek revenge against my enemy Ratchet! I don't know where he is, but I shall find him through his wrench. I shall create an image of his wrench to locate him."

With that, Needles created a mystical image of Ratchet's Omniwrench and found where Ratchet was located. He was in Los Angeles with many children, making them very happy. "Ah, there is that Lombax," Needles thought as he watched the image. "He is on earth…in a hospital…entertaining children. He always did have a soft heart. Well now, my enemy is in for a surprise! Prepare yourself, Ratchet! For Needles is coming!"

Travelling across the galaxy at the speed of thought, Needles reached the unsuspecting Earth. "It has been a long while since I was last on Earth," Needles thought as he put on natural human flesh color makeup on his face. "I had best alter my attire to modern-day clothes as well, as I search for Ratchet."

Moments later, while in his disguise, Needles reached the hospital he had seen. He spoke to the nearest nurse to question her where Ratchet was. "Yes, Ratchet was here…" the nurse responded after being asked, "…bless his heart… he made our children so happy. But he left and I don't know where he is now."

And so Needles left and continued his search on the streets. "I don't want to reveal myself yet, by conjuring up another image of the wrench. Hmmm… I know… I'll create a disturbance that will make Ratchet come to ME!"

And a few blocks from Needles, Ratchet and Talwyn had returned from a house call, when they heard this sudden cry from nearby: "It—it's horrible! Help us! Somebody—HELP!"

"Holy Hannah! Look!" cried another pedestrian. "Those people—they've all been transformed into NEGATIVES!"

Needles had used his magic to transform three pedestrians into living negative beings. Their colors were inverted into darker beings.

Ratchet tried to think about what to do, but before he could act, the three people returned to their normal selves suddenly. "What the heck?!" Ratchet thought, confused. "What could have caused all this?"

"Enough talk!" Needles shouted as he appeared in his true form. "I challenge you to battle!"

"So we meet again, eh?" Ratchet replied as he readied his wrench for battle. "My abilities have doubled since we last met!"

"Come, Ratchet—let us battle in the air, above these insignificant humans!" With that, Needles used his power to make a carpet float underneath his feet.

"I must accept his challenge," Ratchet thought silently. "I have no other choice. But I have some tricks up my sleeve myself. I have to thank Clank for installing the new helicopter mode for my wrench." Ratchet pressed a secret button on the handle of his wrench, and its head began to spin like the propeller of a helicopter. Ratchet rose from the ground and followed Needles through the sky, just as the sinister villain wanted.

"My plan is working…" Needles thought. "He's following me up… I've maneuvered him into a position where the sun's rays reflect off wrench into his eyes each time the wrench passes in front of him. The blinking reflection plus my power of suggestion will soon have him hypnotized!"

Sure enough, Needles' plan worked! Ratchet's eyes began to stare blankly into space as Needles gave him his first command: "You are tired, Ratchet… Too tired to remain awake… You must sleep… Sleep…"

"I must sleep…" Ratchet whimpered as his eyes closed, obeying the command.

"You are in my power… I am your master… You must obey me…"

"I must…obey you…"

"I have triumphed!" Needles thought, grinning evilly. "Now to have my revenge! I shall use Ratchet as my instrument for creating mischief!" Turning back to Ratchet, he gave him another command: "Descend to Earth, Ratchet!"

"Yes, Needles…" Ratchet whimpered again as he and Needles lowered back down to the ground.

Once on the surface, Needles led Ratchet to the nearest zoo and gave him the next command: "Now go to that house of animals and set free the beasts." He pointed Ratchet to a house of ferocious lions.

Ratchet obeyed, walking towards the lions' cage and using his wrench to pry open the doors. But before he could do anything, one of the lions lashed out at him, reaching its paw at him. The lion accidentally hit the wrench and made it hit Ratchet in the forehead. In the impact, he fell down to the floor, unconscious.

"What can be taking Ratchet so long?" Needles thought from a distance away. "Why has he not released the beasts?"

When Ratchet woke up much later, he was started to see that the lion was about to lash at him again. He quickly rolled away and ran out of the zoo, ready to settle the score with Needles. "Now Needles," he exclaimed as he approached him, "we're going to finish our battle!"

"You've broken the hypnotic spell!" Needles replied in shock. As he fled from his foe, he used his magic powers to gather together all the pigeons in the area. He held onto their legs as they flew him across the city. "Fly, little birds…" Needles commanded. "Fly quickly…"

"Clever trick!" Ratchet thought. "But it will do him no good!" He dashed off to the nearest theater where he would meet Needles again. He knew where he would land due to observing the way the pigeons flew as they were approaching the theater's roof.

"I can use this crowded theater to my advantage," Needles thought as he landed. "Begone, pigeons!"

Ratchet ran into the theater, chasing after Needles as he pushed through such a huge crowd. He soon found him standing on the main stage, taunting him. "Ratchet!" he shouted. "Here I am! Come and get me if you dare!"

In an uncontrollable fit of anger, Ratchet rushed up to the stage and swung his wrench blindly. In his own clumsiness, he tripped and knocked down one of the curtains on top of him. He threw the curtain off of him, but he saw that Needles had disappeared.

Ratchet ran out and saw Needles at a nearby boat dock. "Stop right there, Needles!" he shouted at him. "I want to end this, and I want it to happen here and now!"

"You can't kill me, Ratchet!" Needles taunted in reply. "I'll always be in your mind! Soon will come a day when I return the favor of what you promise!" With that, he dove into the deep waters and swam downwards until he was out of sight.

Ratchet looked down at the water and saw that Needles had escaped so easily. "I highly doubt that he would die down there," he thought silently to himself. "He has powers beyond anyone's imagination. And yet… I feel very strange right now. I can see my own reflection, but it looks somewhat different. This time, I look hateful…sinister…and worse: EVIL!"

**WHAT IS HAPPENING? WHAT IS SOON TO BECOME OF RATCHET? HAVE WE SEEN THE LAST OF NEEDLES? LET'S FIND OUT LATER!**

**NEXT TIME: DOOMSDAY DISASTER!**


	3. Doomsday Disaster

PlayStation All-Stars

Volume Two, Season One

Episode Three

Doomsday Disaster

By Cole Bezotte

"This is David Jaffe, and I am here with my partner T.J. Fixman. Today, we are discussing something extremely important that has been going on lately. Ever since the Doomsday Cult had returned to Midtown, Los Angeles has been losing some of the greatest scientists. There is obvious evidence that each scientist has written a farewell note that says that they are defecting to the Doomsday Cult. So far, five of them went to join the cult within the past month. Government officials are unable to explain these sudden defections. However, the F.B.I. is working day and night…"

At the mansion of the League of Heroes, Ratchet listened in on the entire report on his radio. "Missing scientists… This could be an opportunity for me to spring into action. I'd better see Commander Mason; he's probably over at Washington right now. I remember last time I encountered the Doomsday Cult, their leader betrayed them and was killed. Only a sudden spark of evil could have reformed the group, and it must have been Needles casting a spell on them. Looks like they've got themselves a new John Doe as their leader now. I must defeat them!"

Soon, Ratchet was in the office of Commander Mason, U.S. army intelligence. He was ready to consult him of the problem and tell him of his plan. "I want to set myself up as bait…" Ratchet told him, "…by claiming that I've invented a new weapon in biological warfare. Maybe THEN I can learn how the cult is making our scientists defect."

"Are you sure you want to make it that simple?" Mason asked in reply. "There's hardly any action in it."

"I'm sure it will work. Besides, I know what I'm going to do once the time comes."

"I hate to say this, but I'll buy your plan. It better work!"

Once again back at the mansion, Ratchet pretended to embark on a secret project in order to get the Doomsday Cult's attention. Soon, newspapers were printed, telling about what Ratchet had been doing lately.

And so at Midtown, the new John Doe had read the headline: **"RATCHET DEVELOPS NEW VIRUS FOR GERM WARFARE!"**

"This seems interesting…" John thought as he read the details. "This Lombax could be another useful scientist for our cause."

The following day, Talwyn knocked on Ratchet's door and introduced him to a bulky figure holding a camera. "There's a photographer here to see you," Talwyn said as she walked away.

"Maybe this is it…" Ratchet thought as he saw the photographer. "This could be what I've been waiting for…"

"I'm from a national magazine," the man said. He was actually one of John's commanders in disguise. He wore a hat to hide his bald spot, and he wore a neat suit to look surely. "We're doing a story on your new biological weapon and I've been sent to take some photos of you."

"Fine," Ratchet replied. "I'll be glad to oblige."

"I know you're busy, so I'll do this as quickly as I can." The man held up the camera and aimed it straight at Ratchet. With one press of a button, the fake camera released a cloud of emerald-green gas that engulfed Ratchet. Before Ratchet could act, the strange fumes entered his nostrils and immediately took effect. "It worked!" the man thought. "The gas has hypnotized him, just as it did all the others."

His will overcome by the gas, the helpless Lombax followed the commands of his captor. He was forced to write a farewell note, saying that he was defecting to the Doomsday Cult and leaving Los Angeles for good. The man led Ratchet out the back door so no one could see them, drove him to Midtown, and locked him in one of the cult's prison cells.

A few hours later, the hypnotic trance finally wore off, and Ratchet found himself in the cell along with a few captive men.

"How do you do, partner?" one of the captives asked. "We're scientists like yourself. The Doomsday Cult abducted us, but they made it appear as if we defected. They want us to do scientific work for them. So far, we've refused. But they're making it rougher on us. I don't know how long we can hold out."

"Phase one of my plan is completed," Ratchet thought after hearing everything. "Now that I know the true reason, it's time for phase two: freeing these innocent people."

Suddenly, the dungeon floor opened, and some ominous figures entered. Three guards escorted the captives to various other places. "We are placing you in separate cells," one of the men spoke up. "MOVE!"

"There is psychological strength in unity," another guard said. "Alone, you will be less able to resist our 'persuasion'."

Infuriated by such attitude towards free men, Ratchet forced himself out of the cell and ran down the hall. Many other guards tried to chase him, but Ratchet was able to retrieve his Omniwrench from one of them and fought them all with it. After they were all knocked unconscious, he continued running.

Ratchet rushed along the tunnel of the fortress, unwittingly passing an electric eye beam. The instant the beam was severed, it triggered the release of a trap door. Ratchet fell through it, landing into a giant pool of man-eating sharks. "I can't fight them all at once!" Ratchet thought. "But there is only one way to beat them!"

Ratchet turned on the "helicopter mode" on his wrench; the faster it spun, the stronger a whirlpool was forming. "It's working!" Ratchet thought. "The sharks are being drawn into it!"

He made his way back up to the surface and out of the water. "By the time the whirlpool spins itself out…" he thought, "…those man-eaters will be too dizzy to menace anyone else."

Ratchet quietly crept back to the prison hall and found the cells in which the scientists were kept. "Hey guys!" one them called out. "Look! He's come for us!"

"Shhhh…" Ratchet shushed them. "I want to get you safely out of the fortress before the enemy finds out."

Ratchet used the end of his wrench as a key to unlock the cell doors and let out the captives. He led them to a secret underground tunnel where the cult kept all money and treasures; it was also a way to leave Midtown. Once Ratchet sent the scientists to safety, he raised his wrench up in the air, catching the shining reflection of the bright-shining moon. That was a queue for Commander Mason's squad of U.S. soldiers to sweep in and take back Midtown.

"Just remember…" Ratchet announced to the freed scientists, "…even in a slave nation, the spirit of freedom never dies!"

**NEXT TIME: "REVENGE OF THE RAMPAGING CLOWN!"**


	4. Revenge of the Rampaging Clown

PlayStation All-Stars

Volume Two, Season One

Episode Four

Revenge of the Rampaging Clown

By Cole Bezotte

At the Zorko Bros. Scrap and Salvage junkyard, Needles sat in his ice cream truck and thought about his previous battle against Ratchet.

"That was a strange fight we put up," he thought to himself, his hat shading his eyes. "I never suspected that Ratchet would go REALLY mad. And yet, I can't help but think about what his eyes must have been fixed on. That's it! Now I remember! He was focusing on that new wrench of his; he was worried that it would break and fall apart. He is completely dependent on the wrench; THAT is his weakness through which I shall defeat him at last!"

Needles started the engine to his truck and drove out of the junkyard, eager to extract his revenge from Ratchet.

Minutes later, an old man entered through the front door of the mansion of the League of Heroes. He lifted a hand at Talwyn Apogee, who was standing nearby, and spoke to her: "You! Come to me! I command you!"

Talwyn's mind was soon struck blank as the old man's hypnotic spell overcame her mind. She slowly walked over to him as she was commanded. She had now found herself transfixed by the strange, inhuman eyes that overwhelmed her will.

"I must see Ratchet at once!" the man commanded.

"At once…" Talwyn whimpered in reply. "Go right in…"

But before entering the main office, the stranger whispered a command to his dazed subject: "Hear my instructions! Remember them! And when the time comes, obey!"

Moments later, Ratchet saw the man at his door and wondered why he had not come for an appointment like his many other previous visitors. "I don't recall settling a meeting with you," Ratchet spoke up. "How did you get past Talwyn?"

"Getting past a mere mortal is no problem for me!" the man replied, taking off a rubber mask. His true face was revealed to be Needles himself.

With reflex-action swiftness, the Lombax seized his Omniwrench and threatened Needles with it. "You dare come here!"

"I'd dare anything to destroy you forever!" Needles replied. "I have come to do battle with you! And if you refuse my challenge, I'll cause such havoc throughout this puny world, that you will HAVE to fight me!"

"You leave me no choice. I defeated you once, and I'll do it again!"

"No, Ratchet! I CHOSE to dive into the river last time we fought. This time, I shall be the victor! Meet me at the park, in one hour! There, we shall test our mettle!"

"So be it!"

The challenge was accepted; and so Ratchet eagerly arrived at the park to meet with the grinning Needles. "He comes!" Needles thought as he faced his angry opponent. "Prepare for battle, Ratchet! And prepared to be vanquished by me and no one else!"

"You deceive yourself, Needles! You should know the old saying: EVIL NEVER WINS!"

With that, Ratchet furiously threw his wrench at Needles with desperate action. But suddenly, with catlike reflexes, Needles side-stepped the oncoming wrench. And, at that instant, the weary Talwyn entered the scene, walking slowly towards Needles.

"The female has followed my instructions," Needles thought. "Now for the rest of my plan!"

Using his magic powers, Needles transformed a nearby tree into a snarling tiger. Then, before Ratchet could retrieve his wrench, he saw the tiger crawling towards Talwyn, ready to spring and attack her. "NO!" Ratchet thought. "I won't let this happen!"

Without an instant's hesitation, Ratchet leapt to Talwyn's defense and attacked at the tiger. And while Ratchet battled the ferocious beast, his wrench lied on the ground, and precious seconds ticked grimly away.

After the tiger was slain, Ratchet suddenly saw Needles using his powers on his wrench, creating a force field over it to trap it. Needles did the same thing to Ratchet, trapping a force field on him and pinning him to the ground.

"I've won!" Needles exclaimed triumphantly. "I've beaten Ratchet at last! No one—nothing—can pierce my force field! You shall never again rise to save another being! And now, I shall have sport with your helpless planet! I shall go and kill every single living being on this earth! After that, I'll come back to finish you for good! You shall be my best for last!"

The triumphant Needles began his rampage as he butchered many innocent people on the streets. With a machete, he slaughtered anybody who was in his sight. He did not care who they were; all that mattered was that he wanted to kill any person. After conquering a certain area, he would use his powers to transform motorcars into ice cream. "What a treat for me to celebrate my victory!" Needles thought as he enjoyed his treat.

Back at the park, Talwyn had fully recovered and saw that Ratchet was trapped. She knew she had to get him out of that force field somehow. She went over to him and whispered to him a secret plan. Only Ratchet understood what she planned to do, and it just might work.

The next day, Talwyn put her desperate plan into effect. Many newspapers were printed, saying that Ratchet vowed to defeat Needles before the end of the week. Once Needles saw the headline, he could not believe his eyes. "Ratchet?!" he thought. "But that's impossible! I trapped him in my impenetrable force field; nothing can get through it! Yet, what if I am wrong? What if he discovered a way? I must find out at once!"

And so, once again Needles went back to the park and saw that the force field was still there. And right next to it, Ratchet stood. "I've been expecting you, Needles!" he shouted to him.

"Ratchet!" Needles exclaimed. "But it's impossible! You could not have escaped! I must remove the force field and see!" And so he did; but he was very surprised to see that Ratchet was still there on the ground. The one he saw before was only a plastic dummy.

"What a trick I pulled on you!" the real Ratchet said as he got back up to his feet. "I'll make sure you don't kill anyone another day!"

"You haven't won yet!" Needles replied. "I shall escape and devise another plan!" With that, he transformed himself into a pigeon and mixed himself in with a nearby flock of pigeons.

"Crap!" Ratchet thought. "I can't tell which one he is! I must not let him escape me again! There's only one way to find out: if there's anything pigeons like, it's peanuts!" With that, Ratchet headed for the nearest peanuts stand and grabbed a full bag. He threw it onto the ground and watched as the pigeons ate all the peanuts that scattered around. Only one of the pigeons rejected them and flew away. "That one is definitely Needles! Now this will be fair!"

Finally, Ratchet threw his wrench as far as he could, and it hit Needles and made him fall down to the ground. He saw that Needles had transformed back to his normal form and had landed into the Blackfield Asylum. He was now held prisoner… but for how long?

**NEXT TIME: "THE THICK-SKINNED THUG!"**

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	5. The Thick-Skinned Thug

PlayStation All-Stars

Volume Two, Season One

Episode Five

The Thick-Skinned Thug

By Cole Bezotte

**Note from the author: The antagonist in this episode goes by the name Arboc Thatcher. "Arboc" is actually "Cobra" spelled backwards. Cobra is one of the villains I made up for the Sonic Squad series (check that series sometime). Enjoy!**

One day, at the mansion of the League of Heroes (as I always say every time), Ratchet stared dreamily at Talwyn Apogee, who was at the time sitting on the couch, talking with Pupuru. "This really stresses me out!" Ratchet thought as he turned away quickly. "I love Talwyn, but I daren't tell her. A girl so beautiful would never marry a weakling like me."

But little did he know what Talwyn had on HER mind. "So you're admitting that you actually like Ratchet?" Pupuru asked her as their conversation carried on.

"I do," Talwyn replied. "But I don't know for sure that HE actually likes ME. This is a very difficult decision to make, and it doesn't seem pretty."

But, let us leave Talwyn to her daydreams and return to the present. At Los Angeles' steel industry, a man was being escorted out and carried to a police car. "Hey," a nearby pedestrian spoke up. "Isn't that Arboc Thatcher, the mob leader?"

"Yeah," another man replied. "He tried to muscle in on the steel industry. They caught him selling sub-standard steel. Now he's headed for prison."

But the octopus of crime has many tentacles; in a darkened alley, many gangsters hid and readied themselves to spring a surprise attack. "Here comes the car," one of them said as he hopped into their car. "Get ready, all of you!"

"Don't worry," another one said. "We'll have the boss free in no time!"

The gangsters' car zoomed very quickly and rammed right into the police car that carried Arboc Thatcher. "It's Thatcher's mob!" Carl Roberts exclaimed as he backed his police car desperately.

"I knew my boys wouldn't let me down," Arboc thought silently.

A big fight began as the policemen and the gangsters desperately shot at each other. The gangsters shot the police car's tires so they would not be able to drive at them again. But when Arboc attempted to run to his gangsters' car, he was shot at the shoulder. He grunted in pain as he struggled to get into his car.

"Hurry!" one of Arboc's men, Vince, exclaimed. "Take the boss to the hideout! We'll fetch him a sawbones to heal his wound!"

"We're in luck," said the second man, Max, who stayed behind. "I see that hero mansion up in the suburbs. Let's head there and see if there's anyone home."

Soon, Vince and Max easily broke into the mansion after Pupuru went to bed. Everyone else was gone, and so Ratchet and Talwyn were the only ones left to run the house. Ratchet and Talwyn had nothing to wield against the two gangsters, and so they ended up with their hands in the air as a sign of surrender.

"You're coming with us, Lombax!" Vince said to Ratchet as he pulled him towards him.

"You tie up the dame," Max said to his partner. "I'll make sure no contacts are made."

Vince tied Talwyn to a nearby chair while Max disconnected all contacts. They tried to be as quiet as possible so that they could not wake up Pupuru. After all was done, Vince and Max took Ratchet to their car and drove him out of the city and to Arboc's hideout. "Where are you taking me?" Ratchet demanded as he sat in the backseat.

"To Sunday school!" Vince teased in reply. He laughed as he turned to the next corner in which Arboc's hideout was.

Inside the house, Arboc lied in his bed, his shoulder bandaged and in need of healing. He watched as his two men entered his room with Ratchet as their captive. "We saw you get hit, boss," Vince said to him. "We brought a sawbones."

"Good!" Arboc replied, smoking his cigarette. "I knew I could count on you."

Arboc's wife Ruby came over to his bedside and begged Ratchet to heal him. "Arboc's in bad pain!" she spoke up. "You must fix him up, Ratchet! Please…"

"Knock it off, Ruby!" Arboc snapped at her. "I don't need my girl begging for me!"

"I'll treat you," Ratchet said. "Not because of your threats, but because it's my duty to protect people."

Suddenly, a distant hissing voice whispered something into Ratchet's head. "I don't think so…" it whispered. "You sicken the world…"

Ratchet became very puzzled by the voice inside his head. He did not know if he was either gaining a split-personality, or he was just going insane.

"Okay, big mouth!" Arboc said to snap Ratchet out of his thinking. "Get to work!"

"Sorry about that," Ratchet replied. "I must remove the bullet and cleanse the wound before gangrene sets in."

"Hurry, Ratchet!" Ruby continued to plead.

"Relax, baby!" Arboc snapped at her again. "Everything's gonna be fine!"

Finally, after all was said and done, Ratchet managed to dig the bullet out of Arboc's arm and bandaged him for the final touches. "There," Ratchet said once it was all complete. "It's finished. Now all you have to worry about is the police."

"Well…" Arboc replied. "If they catch me, it's gonna be without your help. Take care of the good Lombax, boys!"

"No, Arboc!" Ruby begged. "You can't harm him! Not after he saved your life!"

"You're wrong, Ruby! I can't risk anyone squealing to the cops!"

"Don't worry, boss!" Max said as he pointed a pistol at Ratchet's head. "I'll make sure he won't talk."

Ratchet again heard that same whispering voice talking to him: "Your mother…" the voice said, "…she did not die easy… You should know… she begged for your father as that human killed her! The human race is your enemy… Don't you ever forget that Billy Ray Stillwell mauled her mercilessly! If he is your enemy, then so are all humans!"

Enraged by all the confusion around him, Ratchet angrily grabbed Max's pistol and hammered it onto his head. "Look out!" the gangsters exclaimed. "He's gone insane!"

As Ratchet mercilessly slaughtered those gangsters, Arboc and Ruby quickly ran out of the house and secretly headed for the city. "I shouldn't be helping you!" Ruby complained as they walked along. "I should have left you back there with the rest of the mob! But I couldn't! I love you too much!"

"That's why you'll always stick by me, no matter what," Arboc replied. "Now be quiet—I gotta think!"

"But Ratchet will catch up to you sooner or later!"

"Don't be too sure! I remember that there are many other heroes on his side…"

Later, after killing the entire mob, Ratchet looked around at the mess that he made. He had senselessly murdered his enemies when he did not want to do it by will. "This is not what I wanted!" he thought as he ran out before the police arrived. "How am I supposed to face my friends? How am I supposed to fess up for what I've done?"

Ratchet ran all the way back to the mansion, but he had to remember that Talwyn was tied up. There was nothing left for him to do but do what Arboc commanded. Arboc was pointing a pistol at her head, threatening to kill her if Ratchet did not do what he said.

"Alright, big man!" Arboc said. "That's enough monkeying around! One false move, and the lady gets what she deserves!"

Before Ratchet did anything, he heard a calling voice from outside: "Arboc! Don't do it! This is not like you!"

Distracted, Arboc ran out the door to complain to his wife and shut her up. That gave Ratchet enough time to untie Talwyn from her bonds and set her free. "Stay here with Pupuru," he ordered her. "I'll go take care of that thug!"

"Don't go out there!" Talwyn objected in reply. "You're too angry to fight him! Let ME after him while you stay here with Pupuru."

"NO!" Ratchet shouted in anger. "I will not let him tamper with your life again! I swear to you, I shall find him and KILL HIM!"

Ratchet ran out to find Arboc, leaving Talwyn behind… in tears.

Arboc saw Ratchet coming out to get him, so he took desperate measures to take an elevator to go up a building under construction. "Arboc!" Ruby shouted as he ascended. "You can't escape! Come back! Give yourself up—take your medicine! I'll wait for you… I swear it!"

"SHUT UP, RUBY!" Arboc shouted down at her. "GET LOST!"

"Please… Do it for me! I—I love you!" Ruby began to burst into tears as her own husband hated her even more.

"You're nothing but a millstone around my neck, you son of a…" Arboc became so angry that he started to shoot at Ruby, forgetting to finish his sentence.

All seemed lost for poor Ruby, but Ratchet luckily came just in time and pushed her out of the way before a single bullet landed on her. "Are you alright?" Ratchet said to her as he brought her back to her feet.

"Yes… He missed…" she whimpered in reply.

Arboc stood on one of the girders of the unfinished building. He suddenly saw something useful to use as his weapon; he saw a bucket of red hot rivets. "That's my way out!" he thought as he picked up the bucket. "I'm gonna win after all!"

Arboc looked down at the crowd that surrounded the scene and threatened the people with the rivets. "Ratchet—hear me!" he shouted down. "This bucket is filled with hot rivets! Unless you let me go free and keep me safe from the cops, I'll dump these on the crowd!"

"He means it!" a nearby pedestrian exclaimed. "Let's get out of here!"

"No!" objected another man. "If he sees us run, he'll drop the rivets! We could never get away in time!"

"I can't let him escape!" Ratchet thought silently, trying to think of a plan. "But I can't allow these innocent people to be harmed! I know what I'll do to this cruel man; it's about time that he DIES!"

"Alright, Arboc!" Ratchet shouted up at his opponent. "I promise not to try to capture you!"

"I won!" Arboc thought evilly as he put down the bucket of rivets. "I'm free!"

But he spoke too soon; the girder began to shake and wiggle. It soon broke off the remains of the unfinished building and fell. Everyone watched as Arboc fell all the way down to the ground; they all thought that Ratchet would act and catch him before he hit the floor.

But Arboc did not make it alive; he landed very hard on the pavement.

The result was a mob leader now pronounced dead.

Everyone looked around to look for Ratchet; they were at first upset that he did not break Arboc's fall and keep him alive. But no one found Ratchet around; he had disappeared.

**IS THIS A MYSTERY OR WHAT? NEXT TIME, WE SHALL SEE THE SURPRISE RETURN OF MR. GRIMM!**

**CHECK OUT MY VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE, MY ART ON DEVIANTART, AND MY BLOGS ON WORDPRESS!**


	6. Return of the Grotesque Grimm

PlayStation All-Stars

Volume Two, Season One

Episode Six

Return of the Grotesque Grimm

By Cole Bezotte

One night, at the mansion of the League of Heroes (I'm getting tired of the same intro), Talwyn Apogee became wrapped in her own thoughts, unaware of the lurking menace which came ever closer. She thought very hard about what she desired, but sudden doubts began to cross her mind as well.

"If know my feelings for Ratchet are in vain—and yet, my heart can't forget him," she thought as she silently lied on the couch. "I feel he loves me, too… But there seems to be some terrible secret which he never dares speak of…but which will eternally keep us apart…"

But little did Talwyn dream, a new menace would appear, a menace grave enough to make her forget her romantic longings.

Out in the downtown area of Los Angeles, a man wearing a skull as a helmet came walking down the streets. "Ratchet does not suspect what happened last time we met," Mr. Grimm thought as he hid in a dark alley. "He does not suspect that I am still at large after what seemed like that goddess' victory. Now I know how delicious a goddess really tastes; I can't wait to dig in once I kill Neptune…if I CAN, that is.

"After I got away from those heroes, I returned to my ship and escaped Veldin. I made it back here to Earth, unnoticed, and knew that my mission was a failure. But now that I'm no longer with the Polygon Man, I am free to do whatever I desire! And as my first wish, I seek revenge on Ratchet!"

Back at the mansion, Ratchet was alone in one of the upstairs bedrooms, locked in and standing in complete darkness. "What the heck is wrong with me?" he thought silently, not making a single sound. "I slaughtered so many people recently, along with letting Arboc Thatcher fall to his death! This is not like me at all! Maybe there IS a split-personality controlling me! Perhaps I'm thinking too much of myself as something different! But I mustn't worry; hopefully Talwyn hasn't found out about what happened. I'll try to pull myself together and act like a REAL Lombax would!"

Suddenly, Ratchet heard a crash from the room down the hall. Then he heard a gruff voice shout: "Take me to Ratchet at once!"

"That voice!" Ratchet thought as he headed to Talwyn's room. "It CAN'T be!"

Once Ratchet saw who it was in that room, he got a nasty surprise. Mr. Grimm had come to fulfill his revenge just like he promised.

"Ratchet!" Talwyn exclaimed in panic. "I wanted to warn you—but he didn't give me the chance!"

"Silence, woman!" Mr. Grimm exclaimed. "It is too late for words! My moment is at hand! You thought you had gotten rid of me last time we met, Ratchet! It's time that the tide will turn for me!"

Quickly, Ratchet attempted to grab his Omniwrench and use it against his opponent. But Mr. Grimm was too fast for him; he caught him in his act. "Fool!" he exclaimed. "You think you can save yourself by grabbing that wrench of yours!"

Before Ratchet can wield his weapon, Mr. Grimm pushed him out the nearest open window. "I didn't mean to finish you so soon," Grimm said as he pushed him out, "but it's your own fault!"

Ratchet fell down the many stories of the mansion, about to hit the ground with full impact and die. While inside the room, Talwyn recoiled in shock at the sight of the man she loved, plummeting to certain death through the open window. "RATCHET!" she screamed. "NO!"

To silence her, Mr. Grimm smacked her on the head with his scythe and brought her down to the floor. "Now that she's out…" he thought, "…I can perform the next part of my plan. What could be more fitting than for the one who vanquished him to take Ratchet's money, his papers, and the results of his lifetime of research and study! It is only fitting that I should gain by Ratchet's death! And now, my revenge is complete!" Mr. Grimm used an axe to smash through Ratchet's private wall vault door and began to steal the very important things that he could get his hands on.

Meanwhile, outside the building, Ratchet continued to plummet toward the ground. "Only one chance…" he thought as he desperately used his wrench to break his fall. He turned on the "helicopter mode" of his wrench and began to glide safely down to the ground. "What a happy landing!" he thought as he looked all the way up at the roof. "I could have died from there! But now, Talwyn shouldn't worry. I'll call her and tell her I'm okay. But most importantly, she should never know about what I did the other day. I don't want her to think I'm a murderer."

At the nearest phone booth, Ratchet made his call and ensured Talwyn of safety. "I'll be back in a little while," he said as he carried on with the conversation. "I promise I won't get into any more trouble."

But once he hung up the phone, his mind was drawn to something else: "I'll have to attend to the mysterious Mr. Grimm first. Now I've got a score to settle with HIM."

Meanwhile, in another part of town, Mr. Grimm gloated over his false victory and began to plan something new. "Now that I have had my revenge on Ratchet, I can concentrate on my plans—plans for committing the greatest crimes of the century! With my taste of living flesh and my soldier tactics, I can never fail! The money I stole from Ratchet is but a pittance to what I soon shall possess. It is no more than a symbol—a symbol of my power—my destiny!"

But a radio report he heard revealed that Ratchet survived the fall and had returned to the mansion. Grimm became very angry once he heard everything. "Then my revenge is not complete!" he exclaimed in anger. "No matter how strong he think he is, MY strength will match his! And I shall have the advantage of surprise—for Ratchet, in his arrogant self-confidence, cannot suspect that I am capable of defeating him—until it is TOO LATE!"

**NEXT TIME: "SHOCKING SHOWDOWN!"**

**CHECK OUT MY VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE, MY ART ON DEVIANTART, AND MY BLOGS ON WORDPRESS!**


	7. Shocking Showdown

PlayStation All-Stars

Volume Two, Season One

Episode Seven

Shocking Showdown

By Cole Bezotte

**Note from the author: Sorry things are going so dull so far. I promise that things will get better once season two rolls around.**

The day after the big accident, Ratchet sat on his bed, minding his own business. Suddenly, he saw Talwyn walk into his room, wearing a fancy black dress and high-heels. He could already tell that she had pretty makeup on. This could only mean one thing:

"There you are, Ratchet," Talwyn spoke up. "For a moment, I thought you had forgotten your promise to take me to dinner tonight, on my birthday."

"I had forgotten…" Ratchet thought silently, "…because of my problem with Mr. Grimm! But I can't disappoint Talwyn…"

Ratchet finally spoke up: "Of course, Talwyn! I've been looking forward to it all week! I'll bring you to the Ritz Terrace at eight."

"The Ritz Terrace!" Talwyn exclaimed in reply. "It's the most glamorous place in town! I'm so thrilled!"

But other ears had also heard that brief conversation—the ears of the mysterious Mr. Grimm. "The Ritz Terrace, eh?" Mr. Grimm thought as climbed down from the mansion's roof. "Well, Miss Apogee… you will be even MORE thrilled than you expect!"

That night, a few minutes past eight, at the Ritz Terrace, a cute couple enjoyed the dinner music as they prepared to order. Ratchet and Talwyn sat at their table and became amazed by what seemed like the greatest wine they ever tasted. "It's so wonderful being here with you like this, Ratchet," Talwyn admitted.

"Talwyn…" Ratchet thought to himself, "…if only it could be this way forever. And yet, there is something big I don't want to reveal. If you found out what I did the other day, then I'm a goner!"

Ratchet replied to Talwyn: "You look beautiful tonight, Talwyn. It's always heaven being with you."

"I just wish I could forget about that horrid Mr. Grimm—the way he broke into mansion and attacked you. What if he should ever return?"

"Try to put it out of your mind, Talwyn. I'm sure we've heard the last of him."

Suddenly, a voice spoke from next to their table: "I'll take your order now, sir."

Ratchet and Talwyn turned to see Mr. Grimm pointing a pistol at them. "YOU!" they both exclaimed.

"Do as I say and I may let you both live a while longer!" Mr. Grimm said to them. "Get out of here and get into your car!"

"We can't reason with him, Talwyn," Ratchet said as he got up. "We've got to obey."

As the three walked towards the car, Ratchet complained: "Why do you keep hounding us this way? What is your purpose?"

"You'll find out soon enough!" Mr. Grimm replied. "Now get into your car and drive where I tell you to!"

Ratchet drove to where Mr. Grimm directed him to, with Talwyn sitting with him in the backseat. "Drive straight up to the top of that hill!" Grimm commanded. "That old deserted castle is my home."

As Ratchet parked the car at the deserted house, he thought secretly: "The fact that he lets Talwyn and me see his hideout is proof that he expects we'll never be able to tell this to anyone."

Mr. Grimm forced his two captives out of the car and guided them inside the house. "Why have you brought us here?" Ratchet continued to complain. "What do you plan to do?"

"Walk!" Mr. Grimm snapped in reply. "No one questions me! I shall explain everything to you in my own good time."

They were forced into a very dark room, where Mr. Grimm moved on to the next part of his plan. He first tied Ratchet to a pole so that he would not do any danger to ruin his scheme. "You are so frail and weak that you might injure yourself if I let you run free," Mr. Grimm taunted as he secured the bounds.

"Don't…" Talwyn pleaded. "Don't hurt him! I beg of you! He has done nothing to you!"

"That's what YOU think!" Grimm replied to her. "There was more to our battle on Veldin than you think! Now, before I go, I shall arrange this time bomb here. It is set to go off in exactly twenty-four hours. Only I know how to stop it from exploding. So, if anything happens to me within the next twenty-four hours, you are doomed, Ratchet!" He adjusted the controls on his time bomb and set everything as he wanted. Then he said to Talwyn: "You are I are leaving now. And if you defy me, or if any harm comes to me… it will be the end of Ratchet!"

"I must do what he says…" Talwyn thought as she walked out with Mr. Grimm, "…for the sake of the man I love!"

After driving for a short time, Mr. Grimm and his reluctant captive came to a stop before the east river naval yard.

**Note from the author: Who knows if this place can be Death Port from Twisted Metal: Lost?**

"This is where I shall execute the crime of the century," Mr. Grimm exclaimed. "And you, Talwyn, will bear witness to it!"

"What do you plan to do?" Talwyn replied.

"What no other living being would ever DARE attempt! I am about to steal a Polaris Submarine!"

"You're mad! It isn't possible!"

"Mad, am I? You shall see that anything is possible for me!" Mr. Grimm forced Talwyn out of the car and pushed her towards the dock. "Once the sub is mine, I shall roam the seven seas like a king… and you shall become my queen!"

Meanwhile, back at the lonely castle where Ratchet was imprisoned, the Lombax finally broke free of his bonds with his fierce anger. After all those times his rage got the better of him, he did not seem to notice at all. Now he was COMPLETELY angry!

At the dock, pandemonium reigned as Mr. Grimm pointed a pistol at Talwyn's head, threatening the security guards. "Back, you helpless fools!" he threatened them. "Do not come a step closer to me if you value this girl's life!"

"Hold your fire, men!" one of the guards commanded. "That character doesn't look like he's kidding!"

Another guard placed a secret phone call, hidden at the end of the dock. "Hello!" he said. "Put me through to Washington! Grimm is more than we can handle! This calls for the military!"

Finally, Ratchet came to the rescue and arrived at the submarine to stop Mr. Grimm in his scheme. "Incredible though it may seem…" Ratchet thought, "…he is attempting to steal a Polaris submarine, single-handed! With his strength, using Talwyn as a hostage, he seems to be on the verge of succeeding!"

Mr. Grimm turned and saw Ratchet approach him, after he shoved Talwyn down into the submarine. "So!" he exclaimed. "You still dare try to foil my plans, do you? Well, this time I'll make sure I stop you for good! This time you're not scaring some puny soldier… you're tackling with the all-powerful Mr. Grimm!"

Ratchet's anger got the better of him once again, and so he lunged out in full attack. Talwyn watched as he swung his wrench in every direction imagined, constantly hitting Mr. Grimm on the head and breaking his skull helmet. After seeing so much torment come to the villain, Talwyn finally felt the need to step in and stop Ratchet from fighting.

"Stop!" Talwyn exclaimed. "Don't kill him!"

"Get out of the way!" Ratchet snapped in reply. "He's had this coming for a long time!"

"No! Let him go!"

Mr. Grimm saw this as the perfect opportunity to escape. "Thanks to the witless female, I shall make good my escape!" he thought as he took off his broken skull helmet. With one big dive, he plunged himself into the deep waters below.

"Look!" a security guard said as he ran inside the sub. "It's Grimm's skull-mask! Do you think Ratchet…KILLED HIM?"

"No…" Grimm thought as he swam on. "He didn't beat me… and neither did I beat HIM. But next time we meet, it will be a different story!"

**IT MOST CERTAINLY WILL BE A DIFFERENT STORY! HANG IN THERE FOR SEASON TWO!**

**CHECK OUT MY VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE, MY ART ON DEVIANTART, AND MY BLOGS ON WORDPRESS!**


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